News

USO Troupe Arrives in Qatar for Show at Al Udeid

AL UDEID AIR BASE, Qatar, Dec. 6, 2016 - The joint was rocking today as the Chairman's 2016 USO Holiday Tour arrived to entertain and thank service members based here.

The air base is a hub for U.S. efforts in the U.S. Central Command region and hosts about 10,000 American soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines. Aircraft based here provide close-air support to indigenous forces taking on the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

Tangible Sign

The base is also a tangible sign of U.S. support in a troubled region. It also hosts the U.S. Central Command forward headquarters.

The USO troupe -- actors Scarlett Johansson and Chris Evans; Olympic Gold Medalist Maya DiRado, NBA legend Ray Allen, Country Music star Craig Campbell and Mentalist Jim Karol --visited with units and service members at the base before taking the stage.

They also visited a bomber unit that provides precision support to forces operating in Iraq and Syria. They got a demonstration from soldiers manning a Patriot anti-missile battery that protects the base. They met with medics and security force personnel. And they watched Ttoby -- not a misprint -- and his handler demonstrate how a military working dog team takes down a threat.

Taste of Home

The thousands service members based here are not going home for the holidays, and the USO show is a way to give them a "taste of home," the chairman said. Some of the service members are here on a two-year tour. Others are rotational. But all serve. "The reason why we're here, is to do nothing more and nothing less than to thank you for who you are and what you do," Dunford said. "I want you to know that what you are doing here is appreciated."

The chairman stressed to the crowd that the performers volunteered to come to the Middle East to show service members that America remembers them and cherishes them. "We met the team late in the afternoon at Andrews Air Force Base on Sunday," Dunford said. "They hadn't met each other before. All they knew was they had volunteered to come out here to let you know how much what you do is appreciated."

The team flew all night in a C-17 Globemaster III to Incirlik where they got off the plane and went immediately into meetings with troops and learning about their missions, the chairman continued. Then, they put on a show.

"We got them up early this morning and flew here and they have been engaging with you," he said. "Talk about folks trying to take care of you."

Additional information

DISCLAIMER: These domain is owned and operated by MilitaryWives.com, Incorporated, a privately owned and operated Washington state corporation. Our officers, our Board of Directors, our employees and our designated representatives retain the privilege and the right to control access, the right of editting, removing ANY and ALL content placed on this domain (and our sister sites), and the right of removing ANY and or ALL individual accounts that in our sole opinion are disruptive and detrimental to our overall stated purpose of providing support to the military spouse. None of the United States Armed Services (United States Marine Corps, United States Navy, United States Army, United States Air Force, United States Coast Guard) nor any other component of the Department of Defense has approved, endorsed, or authorized these products / services / activities.